hacker

/hækə/

//hækə// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"hacker" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“hacker” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #11,713 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#11,713
frequency rank, English
6
letters
9
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Someone who hacks.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

hacker vs hacks
67% similar
hacker vs hater
67% similar
hacker vs hiker
67% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for hacker
PropertyValue
Headwordhacker
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/hækə/
Letters6
Frequency rank#11,713
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “hacker” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). hacker lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for hacker is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /hækə/. Corpus data places it at rank #11,713 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 9 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for hacker, with forms such as "ahcker", "haccker", and "hacekr". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "hacks", "hater", "hiker", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Late Middle English hackere, hakker, hakkere (“one who cuts wood, woodchopper, woodcutter; (rare) tool for cutting wood”), from hakken, hacke (“to cut (something) with a chopping action, hack; to make a chopping action”) + -er(e) (suffix forming agent … The correct English form is hacker, spelled H-A-C-K-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Someone who hacks.
  2. 2
    Someone who hacks.
  3. 3
    Someone who hacks.
  4. 4
    Someone who hacks.
  5. 5
    Someone who hacks.
  6. 6
    Someone who hacks.
  7. 7
    Someone who hacks.
  8. 8
    Something that hacks; a device or tool for hacking; specifically, an axe used for cutting tree branches or wood.
  9. 9
    Something that hacks; a device or tool for hacking; specifically, an axe used for cutting tree branches or wood.

Etymology

From Late Middle English hackere, hakker, hakkere (“one who cuts wood, woodchopper, woodcutter; (rare) tool for cutting wood”), from hakken, hacke (“to cut (something) with a chopping action, hack; to make a chopping action”) + -er(e) (suffix forming agent nouns). Hakken is derived from Old English *haccian (“to hack”), from Proto-West Germanic *hakkōn (“to chop, hack”), from Proto-Germanic *hakkōną (“to chop, hack”), from Proto-Indo-European *keg-, *keng- (“to be sharp; a handle; a hook; a peg”). The English word may be analysed as hack (“to chop or cut down in a rough manner”) + -er (suffix forming agent nouns).

This word in other languages

hácker(Español)hacker(Français)Hacker(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ahcker,haccker,hacekr,hackerr,hackker,hackre,hakcer,hcaker,hhacker

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of hacker - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ahcker2haccker1hacekr2hackerr1hackker1hackre2hakcer2hcaker2
Edit distance from "hacker"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "hacker"?
"hacker" is spelled H-A-C-K-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /hækə/.
What does "hacker" mean?
As a noun, "hacker" means: Someone who hacks.
What words are commonly confused with "hacker"?
"hacker" is commonly confused with "hacks", "hater", "hiker". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "hacker"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hacker" is /hækə/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "hacker"?
From Late Middle English hackere, hakker, hakkere (“one who cuts wood, woodchopper, woodcutter; (rare) tool for cutting wood”), from hakken, hacke (“to cut (something) with a chopping action, hack; to make a chopping action”) + -er(e) (suffix form... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “hacker”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is H-A-C-K-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /hækə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “hacks” - see the side-by-side comparison. hacker vs hacks
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list